Bethel Baptist Church, Dothan
The beloved disciple John wrote, "God is love." This truth is recorded in the fourth chapter of 1 John. He added that without knowing, believing in and exercising God’s love, it is impossible to be a child of His. God’s love is the evidence of our faith.
There is perhaps no greater picture of God’s love than in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." The fact that the God of creation has acted on our behalf is unfathomable.
The God of heaven and earth loves you enough that He has initiated this relationship. The Bible declares, "We love because He first loved us." He declared His love to the entire world: "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God initiated this relationship through the sacrificial giving of Christ, His Son. He allowed His Son to die on the cross for our sins.
God’s desire is for everyone in the world to be saved through the sacrificial act of Jesus Christ. However, only those who appropriate God’s grace through repentance and faith in Christ will experience the result of His love. The love relationship resulting in God’s grace is personal. Every person must respond personally to God’s invitation.
God’s love is inviting — "whoever believes in Him." God extends the invitation for all people to be saved, if only they would come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. God’s Word declares, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
God’s salvation and love are merciful — "should not perish." Because of our sin and human depravity, we are condemned to punishment. However, God’s love is merciful. God withholds the deserved punishment for those who have acknowledged their faith in Christ. God’s love is not only merciful, but it is also eternally gracious.
Those who accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord have been given "everlasting life." Will you turn from your sin today and acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord?
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